Spray oil emulsifier



Patented Got. 241, 1939 U HE ,H'ZAIM SPRAY 01L EMULSIFIER No Drawing. Application March 27, 1939, Q

Serial No. 264,481

7 Claims. (c1. let-2s) This invention pertains to the manufacture of insecticidal spray oils and is more particularly concerned with a method of producing oils which are emulsifiable with water. Oils of this nature are hereinafter referred to as soluble or emulsible oils. These are ordinarily not mixed with water until immediately before they are to be sprayed.

It is the object of this invention to produce a new emulsible oil from readily available materials which can be safely used in either summer or dormant sprays, and which may be readily emulsified on being added to water. It is a fur' ther object to produce an oil which may be emulsified in either hard or soft water. Another object of this invention is to produce an oil which does not have an unpleasant odor and which will remain stable on storage. Another object of this invention is to produce a quick-breaking oil emul- SlOIl.

To accomplish these results, I use as my emulsifier a mixture of sulfonated petroleum oil and cottonseed oil. Sulfonates produced in the sulfuric acid refining of lubricating oils are particularly suitable for use in preparing my emulsifier. One typical sulfonate which was suitable for the purpose of this invention had the following analysis by weight:

Per cent Mineral oil 43 Sulfonated oil 52 Ash 1 Water 4 Petroleum sulfonates which are strongly acidic in nature are preferably at least partially neutralized with an alkali metal, anhydrous ammonia, or an amine such as triethanolamine or cyclohexylamine.

Cottonseed oil is ordinarily sold in three forms, 1. e. crude, bleachable, and salad oil. When cottonseeds are subjected to pressing, either in the presence or absence of heat, an oil is obtained which is known as crude cottonseed oil. This crudev oil has a high free fatty acid content and a dark yellow color. The oil is then treated with caustic soda or other caustic alkali to produce an oil known as bleachable cottonseed oil. This oil diifers from crude cottonseed oil in that it contains substantially no free fatty acids. bleachable oil is then bleached by treatment with fullers earth and winterized, i. e. chilled to precipitate out stearines. Oil treated in this manner is known as salad oil.

I have discovered that the bleachable oil makes This a superior emulsifier to the other two grades of cottonseed oil. In addition, the free fatty acids which are present in the crude cottonseed oil which has been used in the past as a spray oil emulsifier tend to render it phytocidal, so the 5 elimination of free fatty acids from my spray oil emulsifier represents a distinct advance in the art.

To show the superiority of my spray oil emulsifier over similar mixtures, and over its component parts, the following experiment was performed: 9.09 ml. of a blend of emulsifier in a plant spray mineral oil was added to 490 ml. of tap water. This mixture was agitated for 1 minute immediately after which a portion of the mixture was poured into a Babcock bottle and set aside for 1 hours. At the end of this time the amount of oil separated was read. The amount of oil remaining in the emulsion was as follows:

Oil in emul- Emulsifler sion after 1% hours Per cent None 3 1% salad cottonseed oil..." 10

1% bleachable cottonseed o 10 .167 petroleum sull'onate 47 333% salad cottonseed oiL. 80 .167 petroleum sulfonate. .333% crude cottonseed oil 79 167% petroleum sulfonate- .333% bleachable cottonseed o 91 .167 petroleum sullonate The percentages of emulsifier given are based on the amount of spray oil only, and are by volume.

Thus, it can be readily seen that the bleachable cottonseed oil with petroleum sulfonate is a. superior emulsifier to either of its component parts and also that the bleachable oil produces a better emulsifier than either the crude or salad cottonseed oils.

In use, I prefer to use from A2 to 3% of my emulsifier in preparing a soluble oil, although more or less may be used depending on local conditions, such as the type of agitator in the spray tank which is used in preparing and spraying the emulsion and whether a slow or relatively quick breaking emulsion is desired. For average conditions about 2% has been found to be adequate. The proportions of the components used in my emulsifier are not critical, but ordinarily I use about 1 part of the petroleum sulfonate to 2 parts of the bleachable cottonseed oil.

The cottonseed itself has an insecticidal value,

so that any portion of this material which is added to the mineral oil does not reduce the insecticidal value of the finished product. It is permissible to add a higher percentage than indicated above of this bleachable cottonseed oil to the plant spray mineral oil, but is not desirable since it is more expensive. Also the cottonseed oil is less volatile than the plane spray mineral oil ordinarily used, so it is desirable to keep the amount of cottonseed oil to the minimum necessary for emulsification to avoid leaving a large amount of non-volatile residue on the plants sprayed.

Plant spray mineral oils are well known to those skilled in the art. However, it might be said that, in general, suitable oils have a viscosity of from to 325 seconds Saybolt at 100 F. and have a high unsulfonatable residue, say or above by the California State Department of Agriculture method. For dormant spraying less highly refined oils may be used.

Although hydrocarbon spray oils are good insecticides by themselves, they are not efiective against some insect pests. Therefore it is often desirable to add another insecticidal agent such as nicotine, lead arsenate, pyrethrum, rotenone, phenothiazine, thiocyanates or isothiocyanates. The soluble oil described makes an excellent carrying agent for these additional insecticides, which may be dispersed or dissolved in the oil Without afiecting its emulsifying ability.

I claim as my invention:

1. An emulsible oil suitable for use as an insecticide in admixture with water comprising a petroleum sulfonate, bleachable cottonseed oil and a plant spray mineral oil.

2. An emulsible oil suitable for use as an insecticide. in admixture with water comprising from 97 to 99% parts of a plant spray mineral oil and from V to 3 parts of an emulsifier consisting essentially of bleachable cottonseed oil and a petroleum sulfonate.

3. The composition of claim 2 in whichthe ratio of petroleum sulfonate to bleachable cottonseed oil is about 1 to 2.

4. As an oil emulsifier the combination ofda petroleum sulfonate with cottonseed oil from which the free fatty acids have been removed by treatment with a caustic alkali.

5. An insecticidal emulsion comprising water, plant spray mineral oil and emulsifying amounts of a mixture of petroleum sulfonate and bleach able cottonseed oil.

6. An emulsifiable oil suitable for use as an insecticide in admixture with water comprising a petroleum sulfonate, bleachable cottonseed oil and an active insecticide more powerful than petroleum oils.

'7. An emulsible oil suitable for use as an insecticide in admixture with water comprising about 98 parts of a plant spray mineral oil and about 2 parts of an emulsifier consisting essentially of bleachable cottonseed oil and a petroleum sulfonate.

PAUL R. JONES. 

